It's late evening, Ulrich and Yumi agreed to bring Odd to Aelita's burial site. He steps up to the grave marker, tears stinging his eyes and he sinks to the ground, looking at the headstone
Aelita Belpois
Beloved Mother and Wife
Dearly missed
Tears fall from his eyes as he reads the headstone over and over.
"Why…?" Odd asks softly, placing a hand to the headstone, then places his forehead to it, letting the tears fall. "We fought so hard for you, Aelita… Why did you have to leave us…?" Ulrich and Yumi sit beside him, wrapping their arms around him. "I should have been here…"
"You couldn't have known… You thought you were doing the right thing…" Yumi says, her voice soft and soothing. The reunited friends sit there, arms wrapped around each other. Shiro and Akira look at each other solemnly. Dimitri, Maya, Anna and Gio had been dropped off at the school. The three eventually stand and look to the young ones. Odd steps up to them, kneeling just enough so they're level with his eyes.
"I'm sorry I haven't been there for you two, that changes from now on. I'm going to try and make up for lost time, but I'd understand if you felt awkward at all. Especially you, Kira, I know my daughter is your roommate." Odd explains.
"I'm willing to accept you. Mom and dad talked fondly of you a lot, so it's like we already know you." Shiro states optimistically, a wide smile on his cheeks. Odd smiles at him a bit and stands straight.
"So, how about some burgers! My treat!" Odd states excitedly, trying to bring his spirits back up as they head back to the car.
"Hey, if you're payin'" Ulrich agrees.
"Yea!" Shiro cheers.
"Ok, I'll accept you… If you buy ice cream too." Akira teases.
"Deal!" Odd agrees, smiling playfully.
-line break-
The middle of the night, Ulrich tosses and turns, whimpering in his sleep. It's enough to wake Yumi and it concerns her… He's usually a calm sleeper… She sits up, turning on the lamp at her bedside and shaking him gently.
"Ulrich…? Hey…" She says softly, trying not to startle him. He remains asleep, so she shakes him a bit harder. "Hey, wake up… Please!" She's practically begging at this point. His eyes snap open and he gasps, sitting up, nearly smacking into Yumi's face with his own if she didn't move back quickly enough. He's staring forward, eyes wide and he's panting, shaking. "What happened…? Bad dream…?" Yumi asks, placing a hand on his shoulder. He turns to her, eyes watering and he pulls her into a tight hug. Yumi's a bit surprised, he's never acted like this… Whatever he dreamt must have been traumatizing.
"Please don't leave me…" He mumbles. "I-I couldn't… I couldn't save you…" She gently pushes him back to look at him.
"What're you talking about? I'm right here…" She asks, gently placing a hand on his cheek lovingly. He leans into the touch, sniffling. She wipes the tears from that side of his face, bringing her other hand up to wipe away the other side's, leaving her hand there, cupping his face.
"I-I… I dreamt… there was… and you…" He can't even bring himself to give any details, a sob escaping his throat. "I-It was the worst dream I've had…" She pulls him into a tight hug. He hugs her back.
"It was just a dream… Everything's ok… But if you can't sleep, I'll stay up with you." Yumi speaks softly, trying to sooth her husband. "I know the fear and pain… I felt that… So many times… Before I even knew how much I love you… and recently… What happened with XANA… I thought I was losing everything…"
"I've felt it too, but this was different… this… it felt… so… so much worse… than anything we've faced, even as kids…" He mumbles, just loud enough she can hear, hugging her tighter. "Like, I was never going to see you again… A-And I believed it… I-I thought I'd wake up without you being there beside me…"
"As I said… I'm right here…" Yumi reminds him. "I'm right here, Ulrich… It's going to be ok…"
-line break-
"Odd." A voice calls, a pillow hits into his back. He startles and pushes himself up, seeing Ulrich there, holding the pillow he hit him with. "Breakfast is almost done." The twins giggle from the kitchen doorway. Odd sits up a bit more, half of him not believing he's actually here, that he's just dreaming. Everything hits again…
"I'm not all that hungry…" Odd states, lowering his head a bit. "I think I'm still recovering from shock… Everything… for nearly 18 years… I…" Ulrich sits beside him.
"I know. It threw me off for a moment seeing you asleep on our couch… But I'm glad you're back. We all are. I don't know how long it'll take to get rid of XANA, if he'll ever truly be gone, but… Afterwards… What will you do?" Ulrich asks, Odd looks to him a bit confused.
"What do you mean?" Odd asks.
"Honestly… I… Don't want to lose my best friend again." Ulrich admits, looking down to the ground.
"I haven't decided yet… when this is done, whether to stay here, or go back to Italy… Sam is there, the kids' lives are there. My family. But… What is there left really, hmm? My sisters don't really talk to me, I don't even know their kids really. I know more about Shiro, Akira, and Dimitri than I do my own nieces and nephews. And mom… Mom doesn't recognize me anymore… Doesn't… recognize anyone…" Odd explains, he rests his head on his hands, elbows resting on his knees. "Honestly, I've felt so alone after I moved away… Sam helped obviously… She's been my biggest support through everything. But without her… you know…" Ulrich nods in understanding. "And fighting on Lyoko again… With you guys… It felt like me again… For the first time in… I don't know how long… I felt like me…"
"I know what you mean… We've all probably lost touch with who we are, that's what happens when you become an adult and become a parent. But honestly, I'm starting to feel more like myself, and I don't think it's because of going back to Lyoko. I mean, I missed being a hero of course, but… What I missed was our gang. Our friends. I grew up in the Kadic School districts, and I didn't really have friends until… Everything."
"Yumi and I were new here that year… me being the newest… And… you hated me." Odd states, smiling a bit. "Didn't want me around, hated that I was following you everywhere, but honestly…? You were like a breath of fresh air compared to my sisters. I don't know how many times they chased me around the house to put me in a dress, or paint my nails in my sleep, or lock me in the bathroom… Or closet…" He laughs nervously and rests back on the back of the couch. "Glad Millie and Tamiya didn't get ahold of those pictures…"
"Wish I knew they existed, or they would have." Ulrich teases.
"You wouldn't do that to me, would ya?" Odd questions playfully, smiling hopefully.
"Payback for Yumi, so… yes."
"Hey, Yumi already got us back for that!" Odd comments, laughing.
"What happened?" Shiro and Akira question, plates of food in their hands.
"Oh, there was a picture of Yumi that Odd had gotten ahold of and he gave it to the girls that did the school newspaper. He got me to take the fall for him, aand when Yumi found out, she got a picture of Odd and me, and… well… that too ended up in the newspaper." Ulrich explains to his kids. Odd laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"He was a troublemaker alright." Yumi calls from the kitchen, bringing out two plates for Odd and Ulrich. "You two better eat." Odd looks at the plate of food, eggs and bacon, nothing crazy. Even though he doesn't feel too hungry for some reason, he does eat, and it tastes surprisingly good.
"Mmm, I don't think I've ever had your cooking before, Yumi! It's delicious!" Odd comments, face beaming. Yumi laughs.
"Well, I'm glad! It's nothing crazy really, I didn't feel up to making much." Yumi admits. "The twins helped as well, so you can thank them too."
"Thank you, twins!" Odd says playfully, biting into a piece of bacon.
"Yep!" Akira states triumphantly, looking to her brother, he's staring off into space. "ShiShi?" He doesn't respond. "Gael!" She shouts, he startles, looking at her.
"Oui Belle?" Shiro asks, she glares at him, he only smiles playfully. Odd looks confused between the two.
"You're zoning out a lot more than usual lately." Yumi comments. "Are you feeling ok, sweetheart?"
"Yea, just… bad dreams…" Shiro states, sitting in a chair, setting his plate of food aside. "I didn't get much sleep."
"I had bad dreams last night too. One of my greatest fears…" Ulrich comments, speaking softly in that last part, glancing at Yumi who looks sympathetically at him.
"Mine too… Afraid that… I… was gonna come home… A-And find you all dead… laying in pools of your own blood… eyes blank, the last emotion being fear… A-And…" Shiro trails off, covering his face. Ulrich stands up, only to sit next to Shiro, wrapping his arms around him.
"Do you think it has anything to do with the Scyphozoa?" Odd asks.
"Scypho-what?" Akira asks, eyebrows knitting.
"It attacked Ulrich and Shiro after you got de-virtualized." Odd explains. "It's this jellyfish looking thing that does things to your head. I can't imagine how that feels…" Odd shivers, wrapping his arms around himself. His plate is empty and set on the coffee table.
"It's like… a breathlessness, but like you're suffocating… and you're lightheaded, but feel so heavy." Ulrich explains.
"That's the best I can think of to describe it…" Shiro states softly.
"Why would XANA wanna cause nightmares for though? How does it benefit him in anything?" Akira asks.
"Knowing XANA, he has some reason for it. Maybe Jeremie can figure it out." Yumi mentions. "I wonder if he's made any progress on his research. Should we get the other three and head over?"
"Dimitri will probably want to stay with Maya, if uncle isn't around, there's no one else to keep an eye on her." Akira explains, grabbing up the plates. "Unless he wants to bring her along like last time." She carries the plates to the kitchen.
"She seemed plenty old enough to at least be responsible enough for herself at school. How old is she? Nine?"
"Yea, though… She's… She suffered a major head injury as a baby, and it's hindered her development." Ulrich explains. "At least she and Dimitri survived. If Jeremie lost them too, I doubt he'd have lasted much longer… I know I wouldn't have…" There's a call on Ulrich's cell, he immediately grabs it out of his pocket and answers it. "Hey, Dimitri. What's up?"
"Have you heard from Dad at all? He's not picking up… I'm about to head to the factory to check in on him." Dimitri admits, Odd and Yumi can hear him on the other side of the phone.
"I haven't heard from him yet today, we were thinking of stopping by there anyway. We can pick you guys up." Ulrich offers.
"Could you…? I'm starting to worry…" Dimitri admits.
"You'd worry even more if you knew how he was at your age. Hang on, we'll be right there, ok?" Ulrich states.
"Ok… I'll get the Della Robbias."
"Sounds good. See you soon, kiddo." Ulrich states.
"See you soon, uncle." Dimitri hangs up, as does Ulrich. Ulrich stands up, stepping to the kitchen to find the twins have already put everything away and cleaned all the dishes.
"Wow, guys. Remind me to boost your allowances." Ulrich states, a bit more playfully.
"Yes!" Shiro shouts
"Yea!" Akira shouts as well, in unison with each other and high fiving. Ulrich laughs a bit.
"Come on, we're going to the school to pick up the others and then heading to the factory. Unless you'd rather stay here." Ulrich offers, the twins look to each other and immediately scramble out of the kitchen to get their shoes and coats. Ulrich shakes his head and then walks back to the living room. Odd and Yumi have gotten themselves ready to go already. Yumi tosses him his coat which he catches easily and they leave the house after he too gets his shoes on.
Odd gets in his own car while the Stern family climbs into their own. The drive to Kadic, again, isn't very far and doesn't take much time to drive there. Dimitri, Maya, Anna, and Gio are waiting. Anna steps up to the Stern family car and Yumi rolls down the window.
"U-Um… I need to show Akira something real quick with our room if that's ok. We can catch up later." Anna requests. Yumi looks to Akira who's looking at Anna, confused, but climbs out of the car, too curious.
"Don't wait up!" Akira states, Anna smiles at her and starts for their dorm. Akira obviously follows. The two enter and go into their room to find… It's been altered, strange fuzzy shelves have been attached to the walls. Akira looks at Anna confused. "You wanted to show me fuzzy shelves…?" Anna pulls out a piece of paper from her pocket and holds it out to her. Akira's eyebrows knit and she opens the paper, showing it's an application for an emotional support animal, she just needs to fill out her information. "Um…" Anna steps into the room, pulling up a pet carrier and opening it, showing a beautiful black cat with tiny white blotches which look almost like stars. "A cat…"
"Yep! Dimitri said you've always wanted one, and I wanted to get you something, soo… here you go!" Anna says excitedly, smiling. Akira's eyes water a bit and she kneels down, reaching a hand to the cat gingerly. It sniffs her hand and then rubs on it with the side of its face. "Aww, that means she likes you! And she's already been fixed, but we made sure she wasn't declawed, because that can cause health issues down the line. What do you think?" Tears fall from Akira's eyes and she picks the cat up, holding her close. The kitty purrs, snuggling into her.
"I love her…" Akira mumbles. "Midnight… I-I think I'll name her Midnight…"
"Oooh, that sounds beautiful! And!" She points to the paper, "with that form filled out, she will be listed as emotional support, she has to be with you wherever you live by law. No place can deny you, so when you get out on your own one day, you can still have her by your side."
"But don't you need special documents from a therapist for that or something?" Akira asks, looking up at her.
"Not if you have the right connections." She smiles, a hint of mischief. "My aunt Adele is a psychiatrist, I asked her to write something up for me and email it. Dimitri helped me to print it. I managed to convince her you could benefit from an emotional support pet, you'll just have to fill out the pet details."
"Why do all this…? Just to make me like you…?" Akira asks, standing up to look at her better. Anna looks down a bit, sheepishly.
"Yea… and… I know Miki helps calm me down when I'm anxious or scared, so… I thought getting you a pet too would help you with your anger." Anna explains, fidgeting her hands. Akira softens, stepping up to her and pulling her into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry… I don't know why I've been so mean to you… you don't deserve it…" Akira says. "I'll work on it, ok…?" Anna smiles a little, hugging her back.
"Ok." Anna agrees. The girls break away.
"Come on, let's go visit Uncle Jeremie." Akira says, looking to her cat who follows after her, climbing up her pant leg and up into her hood for her jacket, curling up. Akira giggles and continues on.
"She's microchipped by the way, spared no expense on that either. So, if she ever escapes, you can know where she is through an app on your phone, the number for the chip is on her paperwork." Anna explains.
"How much did this all cost?" Akira asks.
"Eh… You'd have to torture me to find that out." Anna teases, smiling widely, Akira can't help but smile a bit herself, but she also feels so… angry… why…? Feeling this, she reaches back and pets her cat, being pretty flexible. It starts to sooth her.
As they walk, many students who are boarders are out enjoying their school-free day. Some students notice the two walking, knowing Akira isn't normally here on Sundays. Missie comes up to them.
"What're you doing here, Stern?" Missie questions.
"Back off, I'm not in the mood to deal with you." Akira states plainly.
"That's no way to treat your future sister in-law!" Missie snaps. Akira groans angrily. Anna grabs her arm, causing the vexed girl to look at her. Anna shakes her head a bit. Again… somehow, she calms down.
"Can you just stop with that? Don't you see how… just… creepy you're being chasing after Shiro like this? If he wanted to date you, he would. But he doesn't, so he won't. You chasing him like this? It'll only put him off more and more. Take a note from your mother's book and back off." Akira states, somehow keeping from snapping and striking at Margaret.
"You… What do you know?! You can't possibly understand! You don't like anybody!" Missie snaps.
"I know what my brother is like… And he doesn't like you." Akira sort of growls and starts to walk away. Missie snaps and attempts to hit Akira, but Akira, not even hesitating, turns and kicks, striking Missie in the stomach and knocking her back. "If you know what's good for you, stay down!" Missie starts crying but stays on the ground. Akira and Anna turn and keep on walking.
"Where did you learn to do that…?" Anna asks softly.
"I was raised learning Pencak Silat from my parents. Shiro knows it too. Mom actually owns a dojo where she teaches it." Akira answers, smiling a bit. "What I did was basic and not that impressive, taught her a lesson though. I hope…"
"Why's she so obsessed with Shiro anyway?" Anna asks further.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I just wish she'd stop, it's annoying. Shiro's often too polite to tell her to shove off. Unless he's in a bad mood." Akira explains as they walk, "Meanwhile, I've never really had it happen with me. No one seems to really like me like they do Shiro."
"Might be because you come off as kind of scary, but one day I'm sure you'll find someone absolutely devoted to winning your heart. But hopefully they're not as bad as that crazy girl." Anna says. "I've never really had anyone chasing after me either, I'm really too shy honestly… but, I'm finding myself more and more comfortable around you guys."
"Good, maybe you'll start showing your actual self, and I won't get as annoyed at you. I don't see you as weak or defenseless even though you're small. Your size has nothing to do with your strength. It just doesn't seem like you to be so shy." Akira explains.
"I'm shy because I've never learned how to properly socialize." Anna admits. "Any time I was myself, I was brushed off, thought to be obnoxious or annoying. I even went mute for a while. And because I'm so small, I was easy to pick on. Stuff in a locker, shove aside, push around. And Dad always seemed happy talking about Kadic, so I wanted to find my happiness too. I thought there for a moment though, it was misguided… Because one person I knew I'd spend the most time with seemed to hate me."
"I did hate you, but I don't think it was you exactly…" Akira starts. "I… I don't know why… I told you already why I was annoyed, but I felt so much rage just looking at you… now…? I… I don't know…" Anna pauses, looking at her, eyebrows knit a bit. Akira stops, looking at her too. They both study each other's features for a moment before Akira gets a grip of herself and keeps walking. Anna follows.
There's a sizzling sound as they step into the gym to take that passage. They look at each other, and notice a machine, meant to help with practicing tennis, is starting to shoot tennis balls at them. And they're shooting so hard, it causes welts on their skin. They shout and try to shield themselves and run. Midnight, the cat, hops out of the hood of Akira's jacket and bolts.
"Midnight!" Akira shouts, chasing after her. Anna races after her. Akira manages to scoop her up just as a large gym light starts falling down, she just barely moves out of the way, but the wire it came from is live… and alive… It starts moving of its own accord and lashes out, wrapping itself around Anna's waist and electrocuting her as it holds her, pulling her up "Anna!"
The cord then drops her, allowing her to fall, to which Akira has to set Midnight aside to catch her. Both falling to the ground. More of the lights fall down, sending more live wires their way. Akira gets Anna up, she's somehow still conscious, but very out of it. Akira guides her to the door that leads to the sewer, but as she touches the door to the hallway, she feels a jolt through her and she starts screaming. Anna grabs her and is being electrocuted as well, but she manages to pull Akira free.
They fall to the ground, trying to keep low from the wires and the tennis machine ricocheting balls all over the gymnasium, and because of their electrocution, their phones are fried. Though they try, nothing… Akira thinks of an idea.
"Come on!" She grabs her hand and they start running across to the storage closet, she kicks up on the doorknob, not getting electrocuted thanks to the soles of her boots. With her foot wedged, she hops backward to open the door. Anna gets what she's doing and uses her own foot to hold the door open while she gets her foot out. Akira runs in, grabbing rubber mats and running back to the door. Anna follows again, Akira uses the mat to open the door. The three enter, Akira, Anna, and Midnight, going to the red door and going down to the sewers, though it's surging with electricity as well…
"We gotta be careful, the right spark and the tunnels will explode due to the Methane…" Anna comments.
"Then we better hurry." Akira states and the two start running, she scoops up her cat and the three make it to the ladder without issue, getting up and out, grabbing the ropes and sliding down. They run into the lift and head down to the supercomputer room, to Jeremie. Akira runs up to her uncle, noticing everyone else isn't there yet. "Uncle? Have the others gotten here already?"
"What do you mean?" Jeremie questions. Akira goes pale and she looks at Anna whose eyes widen in worry, Akira looks back to him.
"Mom, Dad, and everyone were on their way to come see you… They should have gotten here by now…" Akira explains.
"XANA activated a tower, we were nearly killed!" Anna explains. Jeremie looks at the two, knowing they're not pulling a prank. He curses under his breath and checks his super scan, for some reason he's been struggling to activate it again like it used to be.
"Uncle…? What if…" Akira starts, but can't bring herself to finish. Jeremie doesn't want to answer, knowing what she's talking about.
"All we can really do is just wait for them to show up… I can't reach their mobiles…" Jeremie explains, typing rapidly on the supercomputer keyboard. "You two head down, I'll send you in and keep you updated, see if you can find the activated tower. My scan doesn't seem to be operational yet. The two nod. Akira sets Midnight down and runs back to the lift, pressing the button and the two start to go down another level, running to the scanners and stepping in. Anna closes her eyes tight as the scanners close and they're virtualized into Lyoko.
The two appear, landing on their vehicles, Akira on the Overwing and Anna on the Overboard.
"To go into a different sector, you'll have to find a way tower, usually blue, and go down through it. So, if you can't find the tower here, go to the next sector." Jeremie mentors.
"Gotcha, Uncle!" Akira states, taking off on the Overwing. Anna on the Overboard, keeping close and her guard up.
-line break-
Meanwhile, because of XANA's attack, the electricity caused Odd's car to flip over with him and Gio inside. Ulrich and Yumi are trying to get the two out of it with Shiro, Dimitri, and Maya being told to stay back. Yumi manages to get Gio out and he's unconscious. She pulls him away from the car and starts checking his vitals, just in case, seems he's just been knocked out. Ulrich is just pulling Odd out and away, by Shiro and Dimitri, when a sizzling and popping noise is heard behind them and a billboard falls, nearly crushing them. The three scream out in fear. Yumi turns around to look, having heard the crash and the screams.
She runs over and checks to see if they're ok, that's when the building actually collapses, having nearly ensnared Yumi, she was barely far away enough.
"No!" She immediately rushes over and starts trying to dig them out of the rubble. Those that are nearby had heard the crumbling, luckily the building is up for sale and no one was in it, but other civilians see the devastation and try to help. She manages to unbury Ulrich and Odd, pulling them away from the mess. Another few people find Dimitri and Maya. It takes more digging to find Shiro. They're all alive, Shiro's unconscious, but Dimitri's managed to stay awake, but it hurts to move. Ulrich is barely conscious, Odd's been unconscious. Someone tries to call for help, but their cell phones won't work. Dimitri gets himself up, despite protests from others saying he should stay down.
"I need to get to the factory, Auntie." Dimitri states, looking to her, holding his shoulder. "This can only be XANA's doing." Yumi looks to him, concerned.
"Are you sure…?" She asks. "I'll come with you…"
"No, stay here and take care of the others. I've got this. Anna and Akira are probably already there." Dimitri says, smiling at her. "I'll be ok, Auntie." Yumi nods, pride in her heart for her nephew's bravery. He turns, powering through the pain and starts for the factory, luckily, they were getting pretty close. Di enters the factory and goes down in the elevator, to the Supercomputer.
"Dimitri…" Jeremie mumbles, seeing him, seeing he's scaped up and bruised. Jeremie climbs out of his chair and walks over. "What happened?! Are you ok?!"
"Yea, I'm fine. There was an accident… Auntie is taking care of Uncle and the others, I'm the only one who really could get here…" Dimitri explains somberly. "Go ahead and send me in."
"The girls haven't found the tower yet… It could be really dangerous with the Scyphozoa." Jeremie explains.
"A risk we all take, I'm not letting my friends deal with it alone. The sooner we find that tower, the sooner we can get everyone healthy again, right?" Dimitri mentions, smiling softly at his father. "I'll be ok, I promise. At least I won't be alone, like mom would be." Jeremie nods, stepping back and letting his son press the button for the lift. He returns back to computer, putting his headset back on.
"Dimitri is on his way, girls." Jeremie announces, Akira and Anna are relieved. Stopping their vehicles to wait for him.
"What about everyone else? Are they ok?" Akira questions worriedly.
"I don't know… All Dimitri said was there was an accident." Jeremie explains. He virtualizes Dimitri in and he lands on the Overwing behind Akira.
"Hey, Di." Akira greets.
"Hiya. Any clues where the tower is?" He asks.
"Nope… We just searched this region, we're onto the next now." She explains. Anna catches up on her board.
"What happened?" Anna asks. "Where are the others?"
"Well, first Odd's car started speeding out of control, only to stop short, going so fast they immediately flipped over. Auntie and Uncle ordered Shiro, Maya and me to hang back while they got Odd and Gio out." Dimitri explains, explaining the rest of the details to them. "Everyone was alive and breathing, so we just need to find the tower and deactivate it before there's any casualties."
"Got it." Akira states, the three enter the way tower, and head down, coming into the Ice Sector. Jeremie scouts ahead on the computer, trying to see if he can spot the tower. With him distracted, he doesn't see the tarantulas and shooting at them. There's a shout from all of them as they start falling. Jeremie panics and goes back to them, seeing they're under attack.
"Sorry guys! I was looking for the tower on my end!" Jeremie apologizes. The three get to their feet.
"It's all good, Uncle. We're ok." Akira states, shielding Dimitri with her fans.
"XANA sure knows how to make some ugly creatures." Anna states, firing arrows at the monsters, missing majority of her shots because they just barely move out of the way and they're much bigger than her, she can't get a good angle. "Dimitri, use your wings, see if you can lift me up." Dimitri looks to her, then the monsters as he stands behind Akira. He nods and starts running over, swiping his hand over his wrist to summon the wings and is about to take off when one of the Tarantulas shoot him in the shoulder, knocking him down. Anna runs over, using her shield to allow him to get back up.
He gets up and grabs her under her arms. She takes aim and shoots one of the Tarantulas. It explodes as usual. Akira sends out one of her fans and takes out the other one. Once they're out of the way, Dimitri sets Anna down. Jeremie sends in the Overbike, Akira smirks and gets on. Anna gets on behind her. Dimitri flies after them. Akira revs the engine and takes off, riding off into the sector.
"I've located the tower, take the path to your left." Jeremie orders. Akira does as told, Dimitri keeping up. "Kankrelots and bloks are waiting for you."
"Oh fun." Akira states sarcastically. The long winding path comes to an end and they see the tower ahead to their right.
"How many do we got?" Anna asks.
"Three Kankrelots per blok and we got three bloks. XANA's pulling some punches." Jeremie explains.
"You call that pulling punches?" Dimitri questions.
"Considering what we've dealt with in the past, this is child's play." Jeremie states, a hint of laughter in his tone. "In other words, you should be just fine, play your cards right and you'll get this. Dimitri, you mostly focus on getting into the tower, leave the rest to the girls. Remember, only you can deactivate the tower."
"Yea, I got it." Dimitri states, finding an iceberg to hide behind while Akira and Anna work on taking out the enemies. Anna has an idea and stands on the bike of the bike, taking aim and striking one of the Bloks.
"Woo! Nice one!" Akira congratulates.
"I'm only getting started!" Anna states, Akira laughs, enjoying herself. Anna looses another arrow at the bloks while Akira moves the bike back and forth to dodge the lasers. The bloks are quickly taken care of, so Akira gets an idea and revs the bike. The two get off, the bike crushes a few of the Kankrelots. Akira and Anna try to take care of the others while Dimitri waits for his chance to bolt into the tower. However…
Dimitri feels something around him, gasps and turns, seeing the Scyphozoa wrapping its tentacles around him.
"No! The Scyphozoa!" Jeremie panics. Akira gasps and turns, starts running for her cousin. The Scyphozoa starts doing something to his brain. His eyes are wide and he feel like he's suffocating.
Akira sends her fans off and they cut the tendrils of the Scyphozoa, making it drop him. She sprints to his side and checks him over, he's currently unconscious.
"Is he ok?!" Jeremie asks worriedly.
"I-I don't know…" Akira answers worriedly, shaking him. "Di! Wake up!" Di groans, placing a hand to his head, looking wearily at her.
"Kiki…?" Dimitri questions. "What was that…?"
"Uncle said something about a Scyphozoa? Can you stand?" Akira questions. Dimitri nods and tries, Akira helps get him up. Anna had held her own for quite some time, but as they're getting over, she gets de-virtualized. Akira curses under her breath. "Uncle? Can you reprogram any vehicles?!" Akira asks, seeing the Kankrelots coming for them. She sends her fan to them, hitting at least one of them, but her fan is shot and sent off course and she won't be able to get it. "Shit…"
"Overboard, on its way!" Jeremie states, sending it in. Dimitri sits down on it so Akira can send off her remaining fan without worrying about him. He holds on tight to the sides of it and has it zoom forward, taking out some of the Kankrelots and shoving them into the water. More shots come from the remaining Kankrelots, shooting the board, and causing him to roll and bounce on the ground. Akira runs up, shielding him with her fan, she sends it off and strikes another out, but is De-virtualized herself. It's Dimitri's turn to curse. He uses creativity to set up an ice barrier while he regains himself.
He gets to his feet, swiping his hands on the wings bracelet and takes to the air, he dodges shot after shot, but is then shot out of the air, bouncing on the ground again. He shakes himself off and gets up, bolting into the tower and heading up. He deactivates the tower and Jeremie tries to bring him back in…
But it's not working…
"I-I don't understand…" Jeremie mumbles, trying again, but nothing happens.
"Dad…? What's going on…?" Dimitri asks.
"I-I think…" Jeremie pauses. "Stay still, let me scan you." Dimitri nods and does so. Anna and Akira watch worriedly. Yumi comes down in the lift.
"Everyone's being taken to the hospital. How's everything on Lyoko?" Yumi questions.
"Uncle can't seem to bring Dimitri in…" Akira explains.
"Oh no…" Yumi mutters, looking at the screen. Jeremie is tapping away on his keyboard.
"Shit…" Jeremie mumbles. "The Scyphozoa took his human DNA… Preventing him from being de-virtualized…"
"Like what happened to me…?" Yumi asks.
"Mhmm…" Jeremie hums, nodding, eyes closed tight. "Di, whatever you do… Please… Don't leave the tower until I figure this out…"
"Well, before, we got my codes back in Sector 5. Do you think we could do that again?" Yumi asks.
"We could try… But… he can't go alone… He's so susceptible…"
"Send us back in, Uncle. Anna and I can help him." Akira says.
"You're still recovering… If you go back in, it could hurt you further!" Jeremie explains.
"That's our problem." Anna states. "Send us in, Uncle." Akira looks to Anna, sort of beaming in pride of her, smirking.
"You heard the girl. Let's go!" Akira says excitedly. Anna and Akira start for the lift.
"It'll be ok, Jeremie. I'll go with them. Besides, Sector 5 isn't anything like it used to be anymore, right?" Yumi mentions.
"In theory…" Jeremie says softly. Yumi nods and starts to the elevator.
"We've got this. Send us in." Yumi assures. They enter the scanners and are virtualized next to the tower, Dimitri comes out, though he seems scared. Akira places a hand on his shoulder.
"It's going to be ok. We'll figure this out." Akira assures him. Dimitri smiles softly at her. Jeremie materializes their vehicles. "Hey, Uncle, can I get the bike?"
"Oh uh, sure." Jeremie answers. The bike soon materializes. Akira smiles giddily and climbs on. Anna gets on the board, Dimitri gets on the Overwing with Yumi. The three take off, following Yumi since she seems to know where she's going. Yumi glances at Akira, seeing how much she's like her father, and seeing Anna as well being like her own father. She feels so nostalgic…
They reach the edge of the sector and climb off their rides, stepping to the very edge.
"Alright… Scipio…" Jeremie's heard muttering.
"Scipio?" Anna asks. Akira shrugs.
"That's the password to get into Sector 5." Yumi explains. A strange ball appears, grabbing them up and sending them off and having them appear in Sector 5, the room is spinning for everyone, but moreso Anna.
"Oh god… I'm gonna throw up…" Anna mumbles. Akira rubs her back a bit. Anna smiles up at her gratefully. Akira feels a bit of a rush in her heart seeing her smile like that at her. Akira's lip trembles, but she shakes it off, seeing a doorway appearing for them to go through. The four run through, finding a large room at the end of the corridor.
"Oh no…" Yumi mumbles.
"Seems XANA's repurposed the Sector for his own again…" Jeremie states quietly.
"We'll just have to get through like the good old days. Usually there's a trap of some sort. And a Mechanism to open the door. Dimitri looks around, seeing the Mechanism.
"There! Up there!" He says, pointing up to a corner.
"On it!" Akira bolts forward with her Super sprint, using her momentum to get up. Panels open up with Creepers shooting at her and the others. Anna shields Dimitri from one side, Yumi on the other. But a Creeper comes from behind and shoots him in the back. Yumi looks and sees the Creeper, sending a fan toward it and destroying it. Dimitri notices one is about to strike his aunt, and he summons an energy field and shoots it out, destroying that creeper before it can hit her, getting back to his feet.
Anna moves behind him, shielding him from the back, Yumi from the front. Akira is struck and her momentum causes her to bounce and crash into the wall. Anna's eyes widen and she has to use herself as a shield for Dimitri and shoot her arrows at the Creepers until Akira can get back to her feet. She gets to the mechanism and presses it. The room starts to change, the ceiling starting to fall down. Yumi, Dimitri and Anna bolt across the walkway, Akira uses her super sprint to get back to them. Anna is hit by a Creeper in her leg and is hindered for a moment. Just a moment long enough to fall behind and nearly get crushed, if not for Akira shoving her out of the way and getting crushed herself, being de-virtualized.
"Kira!" Anna shouts, but they have no time to waste, she has to get out of there, running after Yumi and Dimitri before she gets crushed too. Akira appears in the scanners again, curled up in a tight ball and not having the strength to move. Anna, Yumi and Dimitri make it to the elevator, which isn't moving wildly like it used to, much to Yumi's relief. They get on and it starts to move around, getting to the outcropping that has an interface.
"Ok…" Dimitri mumbles, stepping up to the interface. "What am I looking for?"
"Your human DNA Sequencing Code." Jeremie answers.
"Ok… Whatever that looks like…" Dimitri mumbles, looking through the interface, seeing what he can find. Then… The interface starts bugging up, it won't let him mess with it. "Uhh… Dad, it's not letting me do anything!"
"I can't do anything from my end either… What's going on…?" Jeremie questions. The interface starts moving files and things by itself and then the DNA Sequencing Code is brought up and sent to Jeremie. A message appears on the screen to Dimitri.
Hello, Dimitri!
It reads. Dimitri can't believe his eyes. He looks to Yumi and Anna who too seem confused. Dimitri goes to type back but is immediately devirtualized by Jeremie. Dimitri feels a bit dizzy, but he steps out, seeing Akira is still in her scanner. He runs over and shakes her, trying to make sure she's ok. She only groans in response. He pulls her out of the scanner. Yumi and Anna appear in the other scanners. Yumi walks over and helps get Akira up and back to the computer room.
"Dad…?" Dimitri mumbles when they get up there. Jeremie immediately leaves the screen and runs over, hugging him tight.
"I was so worried…" Jeremie mumbles, trembling a bit. Dimitri latches onto him. Yumi brings Akira over to a spot she can rest, using her coat to cover her up. Anna offers her coat as a pillow. Yumi smiles in thanks and places it under her daughter's head. Anna sits beside Akira. Midnight, the little kitty, wanders over and curls up at Akira's stomach.
"Where'd that cat come from?" Yumi asks.
"I got Akira a cat." Anna admits. "Di said she's always wanted one and I called in some favors from my aunts to help make it happen."
"That's so sweet of you." Yumi says softly, Anna smiles sweetly.
"I want Akira to be happy. She seems to be so angry, and I figured having a pet would help calm her down. I know my rat makes me feel happy when I'm anxious." Anna explains. "And Midnight gets along well with Miki surprisingly. She's content just cuddling the little fuzzball." Yumi giggles.
"Aww, well, I'm glad it's working out." Yumi says, smiling happily. Anna smiles back and looks back at Akira who has now fallen asleep.
"Dad… Something… it was weird." Dimitri starts to explain. "The interface was moving by itself and then… a message popped up saying hello and saying my name… Auntie and Anna can testify to that, they saw it too."
"That's… how can that be…?" Jeremie mumbles, he walks over to the computer again and starts typing away.
"What's going on…?" Dimitri asks.
"I don't know…" Jeremie mumbles. "I'll look into it though. I still have the rest of the day."
"Have you slept, Jeremie?" Yumi questions.
"Well, uh…" He stumbles on his words.
"Or eaten?" She questions further.
"Uh… No…" Jeremie admits.
"Jeremie… It's not like when we were kids. You can't neglect yourself like this." Yumi lectures. "You're not a spring chicken and you have two kids relying on you!" She stands, walking over. "I know you're worried and trying to get rid of XANA as soon as possible, but you know as well as I do that if you don't take care of yourself, you'll start to mess up, or put yourself out of commission. Who can run the supercomputer then, Jeremie?!" Jeremie sighs, looking down. He closes his eyes, taking his glasses off for a moment to rub them.
"You're right… I have to do better than last time… I don't know how often I'd get sick back then…" Jeremie admits, rubbing the back of his head. He puts his glasses back on and looks up at Yumi. "I'm sorry if I worried you guys." Jeremie looks to the screen, then back to Yumi. "Do you think a return to the past is necessary?"
"For every return to the past, XANA gets stronger… but Odd won't have a car." Yumi mentions.
"And half the gym is destroyed." Anna comments.
"Alright, back in time it is… That's too much damage to just let go." Jeremie states, he looks to the computer, types around and starts the Return to the Past sequence. They're returned to when Anna and Akira are walking, Missie coming up behind them to talk.
"What're you doing here, Stern?" Missie questions.
"What, are you a cop or something?" Anna questions, turning to look at the brat. "Is she trespassing by being at her school on a weekend like a lot of other students who board here?"
"W-Well… No, but… She's not normally here!" Missie snaps.
"Aww, does that hurt your brain too much?" Anna teases, smiling in false sympathy, patting her head. "It's ok, keep thinking and it won't hurt so much after a while!" Akira snickers a bit, especially when Missie starts getting red in the face.
"Come on, we have places to be." Akira says, a wide smile on her face. Anna smiles sweetly up at her and the two turn and leave Margaret fuming.
"I will say, not as satisfying as seeing her kicked to the ground, but still pretty fun." Anna says, smiling sillily.
"Yea, honestly, I like this new attitude of yours. It seems more like you. Let the inhibitions melt away and break free like a butterfly!" Akira shouts playfully, spreading her arms like wings. Anna does the same.
"Wooo!" Anna howls out and the two start running to the gym, laughing in their silliness.
Alright! I'm back guys! I've struggled with motivation for this story, writer's block is a pain... But here we are! And I gave an extra long chapter this time, in hopes you guys would forgive me for my hiatus! Feel free to PM me or leave a review if you so wish and I'll catch you next time!
See ya!
TGB127074